“Raising Securely Attached Kids,” by Eli Harwood

I loved this book. It was so full of really good information and ideas about parenting. I will definitely be using a lot of these techniques with my own son. I’m really glad I’ve read it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

A mildly interesting introductory book for parents or parents-to-be who are interested in how to develop secure attachment with their children.

While this book has some good points throughout, I was distracted by the changes in voice from silly to serious to casual. I think the content could be taken more seriously by readers by assuming some basic intelligence and removing some of the dumbed down phrasing: "This means you're supersmart!" "That's a fancy-schmancy word for ____!"

My new favorite book on attachment!

So many practical steps and scripts on how to build safety and connection and insights into how kids brains work!

Eli Hardwood is an insightful and accessible guide for parents aiming to foster secure, healthy relationships with their children. Written with clarity and warmth, Hardwood adeptly walks readers through the essentials of building secure attachments, making complex psychological concepts understandable and actionable.

One of the book's standout features is its use of real-life examples. Hardwood skillfully integrates these anecdotes, providing relatable and practical illustrations of how secure attachment principles can be applied in everyday parenting situations. This approach not only makes the book engaging but also offers concrete guidance that parents can readily implement.

In addition to the practical advice, Hardwood delves into the science of attachment theory, explaining the psychological and neurological underpinnings that support the importance of secure attachments. She presents this information in a way that is both informative and easy to grasp,

Raising Securely Attached kids was phenomenal. Eli Hardwood is an Attachment Theory pro. It’s easy to get through, very straightforward. I loved the book, love the cover, and I absolutely have already started recommending this book.

As a mom of four, this book was fantastic! I loved the points that were made, and the explanations were great. It was laid out very well, and my husband and I had great conversations following this. Well done! Always looking for parenting books in this season.

This book was wonderful. Great parenting and overall life advice. A little repetitive, but not bad. I really enjoyed it. It was straightforward and simply written.

There are not words adequate to communicate my praises for this book. Raising Securely Attached Kids is the manual on parenting, and if you’re a parent and it’s not on your list of books to read, it absolutely should be.

Eli Harwood aims to teach the caregivers of the world how to parent harnessing the power of connection over control based methods, and as someone who has read extensively on the topic, this book is the best of its kind. Eli’s message effectively empowers parents to course correct without shame or blame. Her empathy makes you feel seen in the trenches while equipping you with the science behind a secure attachment. Because having a secure attachment is a lifelong human need, you can see yourself in these pages as both parent and child and the result is a book that instructs even as it heals. Throughout the book, there are various “Nerd Alerts” that go deeper into the science of the topic, and also, she makes a concentrated effort to pull in many varying perspectives of parenting for a secure attachment. In each discussion, she uses a generational lens so that it becomes easier to notice patterns you may be operating under. Then, she connects the dots so that you can see how that pattern has affected you and how it might impact your children if it remains unaddressed. She doesn’t stop at teenage years either, some of her most helpful discussions are devoted to parenting adult children well. Her chapter on managing conflict securely helped heal parts of my head and heart that I didn’t know were wounded.

Eli’s message is meaningful and approachable, and it’s one full of hope for the next generation. If you read one parenting book in 2024, let it be this one. It truly is that good. In fact, though I’m grateful to have been able to preview this book as an eARC, I have just preordered my copy and September’s release can’t come soon enough. Eli, if you see this, thank you again and again for your empathy, your compassion, your kindness, and your dogged determination to taking the message of secure attachment to the world.

I’d like to thank Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.